Related papers: Packing the sky: coverage optimization and evaluat…

Astronomy depends on ever increasing computing power. Processor clock-rates have plateaued, and increased performance is now appearing in the form of additional processor cores on a single chip. This poses significant challenges to the…

Large multi-object spectroscopic surveys require automated algorithms to optimise their observing strategy. One of the most ambitious upcoming spectroscopic surveys is the 4MOST survey. The 4MOST survey facility is a fibre-fed spectroscopic…

Weak gravitational lensing has become a widely used effect to characterise the dark-matter distribution on large scales in the Universe by measuring galaxy ellipticities and their statistical correlations. We present the first weak…

The performance of an adaptive optics (AO) system on a 100m diameter ground based telescope working in the visible range of the spectrum is computed using an analytical approach. The target Strehl ratio of 60% is achieved at 0.5um with a…

This paper presents a novel method for real-time nighttime cloud detection, tracking, and prediction using all-sky cameras, aimed at enhancing the efficiency of ground-based robotic telescopes. Ground-based telescopes are vulnerable to…

Ground-based full-sky studies of the angular distribution of arrival directions of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays require combining data from different observatories, such as the Pierre Auger Observatory (Auger) and the Telescope Array (TA),…

This paper develops a general observing strategy for missions performing all-sky surveys, where a single spacecraft maps the celestial sphere subject to realistic constraints. The strategy is flexible such that targeted observations and…

We explore three different methods based on weak lensing to extract cosmological constraints from the large-scale structure. In the first approach (method I), small-scale galaxy lensing measurements of their halo mass provide a constraint…

The Large Array Survey Telescope (LAST) is a wide-field telescope designed to explore the variable and transient sky with a high cadence and to be a test-bed for cost-effective telescope design. A LAST node is composed of 48 (32 already…

The Transient Optical Sky Survey (TOSS) is an automated, ground-based telescope system dedicated to searching for optical transient events. Small telescope tubes are mounted on a tracking, semi-equatorial frame with a single polar axis.…

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is an international initiative to build the next generation ground-based very-high-energy gamma-ray observatory. Full sky coverage will be assured by two arrays, one located on each of the northern and…

We present the results of applying automated machine learning techniques to the problem of matching different object catalogues in astrophysics. In this study we take two partially matched catalogues where one of the two catalogues has a…

Arcus is a concept for a probe class mission to deliver high-resolution FUV and X-ray spectroscopy. For X-rays, it combines cost-effective silicon pore optics (SPO) with high-throughput critical-angle transmission (CAT) gratings to achieve…

We have constructed an analytical model to simulate the behavior of an adaptive optics system coupled with a sodium laser guide star. The code is applied to a 3.6-m and 8m class telescopes. The results are given in terms of Strehl ratio and…

We present a generic algorithm for performing astronomical image registration and pointing refinement. The method is based on matching the positions and fluxes of available point sources in image overlap regions. This information is used to…

Agile satellites are the new generation of Earth observation satellites (EOSs) with stronger attitude maneuvering capability. Since optical remote sensing instruments equipped on satellites cannot see through the cloud, the cloud coverage…

The study of strong-lensing systems conventionally involves constructing a mass distribution that can reproduce the observed multiply-imaging properties. Such mass reconstructions are generically non-unique. Here, we present an alternative…

As new large-scale astronomical surveys greatly increase the number of objects targeted and discoveries made, the requirement for efficient follow-up observations is crucial. Adaptive optics imaging, which compensates for the image-blurring…

Photometry of galaxies has typically focused on small, faint systems due to their interest for cosmological studies. Large angular size galaxies, on the other hand, offer a more detailed view into the properties of galaxies, but bring a…

[Abridged] We exploit the clustering of massive galaxies to perform a high efficiency imaging search for gravitational lenses. Our dataset comprises 44 fields imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS),…